Yuko Nii
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yuko Nii (b. 1942), artist and philanthropist, came to the United States from Japan in the early 1960s on a scholarship to Macalester College, and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1965. Starting in 1966 she attended Pratt Institute as a fellowship student and earned her Master of Fine Arts in painting in 1968. Her activities included work in many creative fields, including painting, printmaking, graphic design, stage set, costume design, and fashion design. She distinguished herself also as a writer of journalism, poetry, fiction, and philosophy. She published a book entitled Blue Eyed Satori, and wrote for newspapers and magazines. She is listed in the Marquis Who's Who in America 2006. Information about this artist is also on file in the Smithsonian Institute Library Collection.
Nii's work has been shown at numerous museums, art galleries, and universities in the United States and Japan. These include one-person shows at The Berkshire Museum, Fairleigh Dickenson University, The International Monetary Fund, Ginza Kaiga-kan, and many group shows in venues such as the Brooklyn Museum, the Bronx Museum, the Hudson River Museum, the Parish Museum, the World Trade Center, the Lincoln Center,and The United Nations General Assembly Building. She is mentioned as an important international artist in the March 2006 issue of Art & Antiques Magazine.
Nii's works are in public and private collections, including those of the Cincinnati Art Museum, and many outstanding public and private collections.
Nii's works are included in a number of publications, including Looking at Landscapes (Criterion Press). She has been reviewed often in publications including the New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, as well as many other newspapers and magazines. She has appeared on several television and radio programs in the United States and in Japan.
Her circle included some of the most outstanding names of the 20th century, including Isamu Noguchi, Esteban Vicente, Jack Lenor Larsen, and many other greats.
In 1996, Nii founded the non-profit Williamsburg Art & Historical Center (WAH Center). On October 29th, 2000, a full page article by Christopher Gray appeared in the New York Times [1] on her creation of the Center in a National Landmark building, the former Kings County Savings Bank.
In 1998, Howard Golden, then Brooklyns Borough President, named Nii Brooklyn's "Woman of the Year" for her "unparalleled devotion to her art and commitment to the artist community of Williamsburg/Greenpoint." He also said that the WAH Center's activities have resulted in "tremendous cultural and economic activity throughout the northern Brooklyn area," an area recently designated as a "historic district."
In 2001, Governor Pataki named Nii one of New York State's Women of the Year and called her a "woman of excellence with vision and courage." He also congratulated Nii on "turning the historic Kings County Savings Bank into a multipurpose art center that serves the needs of artists and art aficionados of diverse backgrounds."
In 2003, Borough President Marty Markowitz gave Nii the Betty Smith Arts Award for her outstanding achievements and contributions to the arts in Brooklyn. City Councilwoman Tracy Boyland gave Nii the Outstanding Citizen award.
